Sometimes I read news stories and realize why I claim to be a liberal republican. This is one is a perfect example. The actual text of the article is in plain font and my opinion is in italics.
Richard Waddington. "UN alleges torture at Guantanamo." Reuters. 2/16/2006. http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-02-16T153138Z_01_L16731806_RTRUKOC_0_US-RIGHTS-UN-GUANTANAMO.xml&archived=False
"The excessive violence used in many cases during transportation ... and forced-feeding of detainees on hunger strike must be assessed as amounting to torture," the report said.
In all fairness to the United States, I really do not believe force feeding detainees is a form of tortue. Our administration already receives enough heat for actually tortuing the detainees held at Guantanamo; why do we need to take actions that are not meant as tortue and exploit them as if they are. I realize the purpose of the hunger strike, but forcing them to eat, to save their lives, and abide by other human rights regualtions, is in no way torture. It is a catch 22; if we dont feed them that is torture, if we do, its still torture, what can I say, we are bad bad people.
In London, U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour told the BBC she saw no alternative to closing the prison at the U.S. naval base in Cuba where some 500 terrorism suspects are held, many of them for four years, without trial.
Speaking ahead of the release of the report, Arbour said that, although she did not endorse every recommendation it made, the United States should put inmates on trial or release them and shut down the prison.
Although I applaude the UN's efforts, as we have seen in the past several years, the UN has become quite powerless. They can install santions, but no one is going to santion the United States with out their own economy suffering. Other nations feel sorry for the detainnes, but not that sorry. Plus, these detainnees are not random civilians who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, Im not sure where the evidence to prove this is, I will have to russel trhough my debate box to find it as it was this year's topic, but they we captured while fighting. Its hard to have compassion for terrorists.
But Washington, which denies that Guantanamo inmates are mistreated or that international laws are being broken, accused the U.N. investigators of acting like the prosecution lawyers.
This is where my liberalism comes into play. I love how we tell the UN it should be a more proactive oraganization. We need to stop atrocities before they become genoicides, but when the UN sees a situation they think could get out of hand and try to stop, we place a double standard on our words. Its as if we are saying, "well we didnt mean stop our atrocities, we meant everyone else but us! Gosh, we thought you understand that, you really are a worthless organization."
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Don't call me a bleeding heart liberal yet, but in my experience, when people refuse compassion, an ultimate solution will never surface. I am not saying to pardon them, but we cannot end terrorism permenantly by killing and detaining every terrorist we can get on hands on. New terrorists will simply take their place. The causes of terrorism need to be understood and actions taken accordingly. Its like when you have an ulcer, Tums is not going to cure the cause of ulcers, but a better diet, meanwhile, might. By the way, I am glad to see a fellow blogger interested in journalism. When I was in high school, I was heavily involved in the school newspaper and also was the editor-in-chief too.